The Tidy Life

12 Summer Moving Tips

How To | June 10, 2014

Reading Time: 3minutes

The summer months are the busiest months for moving. On average, 32 million people move a year with 90 percent of them moving during the summer months. Families start moving to new cities and homes as soon as the school year ends, so they are settled in time for the new school year to begin in the fall. The summer is also the busiest time for the self storage industry. As people are moving, downsizing homes, or even just starting out in a first apartment, they are using self storage to store their belongings. Moving can be very stressful at any time of year, but it is especially so during the busy summer moving months. If you plan and prepare ahead of time, you can be ready for your big moving day. There are many tasks that you don’t think about when you have to move, but they are vital to making things go smoothly. During the summer months, you have to take special precaution to protect the items that you are moving from extreme temperatures. There are ways to keep cool during the summer moves!

Pre-Moving and Moving Day Tips

1. Decide if you are hiring a moving company or renting a moving truck and having friends and family help you move. If you are hiring a moving company, make sure to have at least 3 in-person estimates for the cost of the move before you decide which company to use. Moving resources can be scarce during the summer, so be prepared to have a back-up plan in mind if you can’t get a moving truck or moving company for the day that you need it.

2. Be organized! Pick up moving boxes and supplies at any of ezStorage’s 46 locations. Decide what items will go into each room in your new home. You can then prepare and pack the boxes for each room. Don’t forget to write the room name on the boxes, so it can be put in the proper place when unpacking. Also, make an inventory list of the boxes you are storing, so you have a reference on moving day.

3. About a month before you move, send the change of address forms to your credit card companies. Also set up the utilities in your new home and schedule the time to turn off the utilities in your old home.

4. A tip for moving day: wear light-colored loose clothing. Make sure that you are protected from sun burns by wearing pants and long-sleeves. Do not wear dark clothing as that attracts heat.

5. To avoid the major heat of the day, try to pack the moving truck early in the day or in the evening.

6. If you have children or pets, make sure they are with a babysitter on the day of the move.

7. Dispose of paint, detergents and pesticides in an eco-friendly way. If these items need to be moved, pack them in a smaller box inside a larger box to reduce the chance of leaks.

8. Move items that you will need right away in your car not in the moving truck provided such items fit and are secured.

9. Since the summer weekends get booked very quickly, try to move on the least busy days of the week, usually mid-week and during the middle of the month. The busiest times are Memorial Day weekend and the last weekend in July.

10. Be aware of items that should not go in a moving truck in the hot months of the summer. For example, candles should not be kept in a hot moving truck because they can melt. Leather upholstered furniture can sweat when wrapped in plastic in a hot area damaging the furniture and CDs and DVDs can warp over time in a hot truck.

11. Be kind to the movers. They get hot during the summer months as well. Make sure to have cold water available. During the extreme heat, people can get dehydrated very easily. Keep drinking water to prevent dehydration. Some people also offer lunches for their moving teams.

12. Have the utilities set up in your new home. A great way to keep cooler during your summer move is to keep the air conditioning running when moving, to have a place to “cool off” for a bit between moving boxes and furniture. Good Luck with your summer moving! ezStorage has 46 locations in the Baltimore, Northern Virginia and Washington D.C. areas to help with all of your storage needs!